Liberia’s national police have removed the head of their crime services division after he allegedly admitted receiving $10,000 in connection with suspects held in the country’s biggest cocaine case, widening an already sensitive investigation into an estimated $400 million trafficking network.
Inspector General Gregory Coleman said Col. Johnny Dean, deputy commissioner for crime services was relieved of duty immediately and rendered inactive of all policing roles pending an internal probe by the Professional Standards Division.
Dean was not accused of trafficking the cocaine itself, Coleman said, but of undermining the investigation by trying to assist or comfort suspects already in custody. “He has admitted to receiving US$10,000, and as such, Johnny D. is relieved of his post with immediate effect,” Coleman told reporters.
The internal inquiry will be followed by a criminal investigation, Coleman said, adding that Dean could be prosecuted if investigators find enough evidence.
“If he’s found guilty, if he’s culpable and charged, he will be taken to court as well,” he said.
The shake-up comes as authorities in Liberia intensify efforts to dismantle what officials describe as a sophisticated transnational narcotics network that may have operated in the country for more than six years. Justice Minister Oswald Tweh said investigators seized 3,971 kilograms of suspected cocaine in Duazon, near Monrovia, with a wholesale value estimated at $317.68 million and a potential street value of almost $400 million.
Two foreign nationals — one Serbian and another holding Colombian and Spanish citizenship — have been detained and are assisting investigators, Tweh said. Their names have not been released.
Authorities said the operation turned up diving suits, a firearm, GPS trackers, a drone and Starlink satellite internet equipment, among other items, which investigators say may have been used to support the trafficking ring.
Coleman said the deputy commissioner for intelligence and criminal investigation has been assigned Dean’s duties on an interim basis. He warned that no one within the police would be shielded from accountability, regardless of rank.
“Nobody will hide behind your offices here and try to do anything unethical or that will bring this government into corporate disrepute,” Coleman said.
The police chief said investigators will continue to trace financial transactions, logistical links and other evidence as they try to identify all participants in the network. He said more arrests are possible.
“Anyone connected will be subsequently arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the rule of law,” Coleman said.
